RATIONALE: Biological therapies, such as therapeutic autologous lymphocytes, may stimulate the immune system in different ways and stop tumor cells from growing. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as cyclophosphamide, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Cyclophosphamide may also stimulate the immune system in different ways and stop tumor cells from growing. Aldesleukin may stimulate white blood cells to kill tumor cells. Giving therapeutic autologous lymphocytes together with cyclophosphamide and aldesleukin may be an effective treatment for melanoma.

PURPOSE: This phase I trial is studying the side effects of giving therapeutic autologous lymphocytes together with cyclophosphamide and aldesleukin in treating patients with stage IV melanoma

Further study details as provided by Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center:

Primary Outcome Measures:

The identification of a CY/IL-2 regimen that is considered to be safe [ Time Frame: Baseline, 4 weeks and 8 weeks ] [ Designated as safety issue: Yes ]

The identification of a CY/IL-2 regimen (among those considered safe) which yields the greatest effect on the duration of in vivo persistence of adoptively transferred CTL clones [ Time Frame: Baseline, 4 weeks and 8 weeks ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]

Normal cardiac stress test within 182 days prior to enrollment is required of all patients over 50 years old or those with an abnormal electrocardiogram (ECG), any history of cardiac disease, a family history of cardiac disease, hypercholesterolemia or hypertension

FOR LEUKAPHERESIS:

Pulse > 45 or < 120

Weight >= 45 kg

White blood cell count (WBC) >= 3,000

Temperature =< 38C (=< 100.4 F)

Hematocrit (HCT) >= 30%

Platelets >= 100,000

FOR T CELL INFUSION: Patients must be willing and able to discontinue the use of all anti-hypertensive medications 24 hours prior to and during IL-2 therapy

Exclusion Criteria:

Pregnant women, nursing mothers, men or women of reproductive ability who are unwilling to use effective contraception or abstinence; women of childbearing potential must have a negative pregnancy test within two weeks prior to entry

Clinically significant pulmonary dysfunction, as determined by medical history and physical exam; patients so identified will undergo pulmonary functions testing and those with forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) < 2.0 L or carbon monoxide diffusing capacity (DLco) (corr for Hgb) < 75% will be excluded

Significant cardiovascular abnormalities as defined by any one of the following:

Symptomatic central nervous system metastases greater than 1 cm at the time of therapy; patients with 1-2 asymptomatic, less than 1 cm brain/central nervous system (CNS) metastases without significant edema may be considered for treatment; if sub-centimeter CNS lesions are noted at study entry, than a repeat imaging will be performed if more than 3 weeks have elapsed from the last scan; patients will not be treated if CNS lesions are > 1 cm or if patient is symptomatic from brain metastasis

Chemotherapeutic agents (standard or experimental), radiation therapy, or other immunosuppressive therapies less than 3 weeks prior to T cell therapy; (patients with bulky disease may undergo cytoreductive chemotherapy but treatment will be discontinued at least 3 weeks prior to T cell therapy)

Clinically significant autoimmune disorders or conditions of immunosuppression; patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 associated complex or known to HIV antibody seropositive or known to be recently polymerase chain reaction (PCR)+ for hepatitis are not eligible for this study; virology testing will be done within 6 months of T cell infusion; the severely depressed immune system found in these infected patients and the possibility of premature death would compromise study objectives

FOR T CELL INFUSION: Patients must not be receiving any other experimental drugs within 3 weeks of the initiation of the protocol and must have recovered from all side effects of such therapy

Contacts and Locations

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To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the Contacts provided below.
For general information, see Learn About Clinical Studies.

Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00438984